SERIES 2011, INC. SELECTS NAVY PIER
FOR OPENING CEREMONIES, ANNOUNCES TALENT LINE-UP
35th Annual Gay Softball World Series Welcomes 4,000+ Athletes
and Fans for World’s Largest Annual LGBT Sporting Event

CHICAGO (June 30, 2011) – The 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will take place in Chicago from August 29 through September 3, 2011, is pleased to announce it has selected the Grand Ballroom of historic Navy Pier for its’ Opening Ceremonies, which will officially kick-off a week of softball and social events. Opening Ceremonies will take place on Monday, August 29, beginning at 5:00p.m.

“We can’t think of a better venue and more picturesque setting to host the Opening for the 2011 Gay Softball World Series, said Ted Cappas, President, Series 2011.  “We’ve assembled an incredible program for the evening, which will welcome our athletes and feature national and local entertainers alike.”

The GSWS Opening Ceremony will feature a top-notch talent lineup (see attached bios), including Leslie Jordan, star of the stage and screen; Ben Cohen, Rugby World Cup Champion and founder/chairman of the Ben Cohen “Stand Up” foundation; Pandora Boxx, Drag Superstar; and hometown favorites Amy Armstrong, singer and entertainer; and Matthew Harvat, DJ and event producer.

Sports enthusiasts and members of the LGBT and greater Chicagoland community are welcome and encouraged to attend the Opening Ceremony. Admission is free.

The softball tournament, which begins on Tuesday, August 30, is expected to draw 175 teams from 43 cities in North America in five divisions: A, B, C, D and Master’s. Play occurs at three separate complexes in Schaumburg, Elmhurst and St. Charles, with the championships (Schaumburg Complex) on Saturday, September 3.

Series 2011, Inc. is currently seeking volunteers, sponsors and donations (financial and in-kind). Visit the tournament website to learn more

Series 2011 Opening Ceremonies Talent Biographies

Leslie Jordan

With hundreds of television shows, films and commercials to his credit, Leslie Jordan has become a familiar face on the national entertainment scene. Leslie is the 2006 Emmy Award Winner for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series” for his delicious portrayal of “Beverley Leslie” on “Will and Grace.” Television recurring roles: “Boston Legal,” “Ugly Betty,” “Reba,” “Sordid Lives: the Series.” Film: “Sordid Lives,” upcoming DreamWorks feature “The Help,” and Independent “Magnus.” Stage: Ovation Award, Garland Award, and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for “Southern Baptist Sissies.”  Autobiographical shows: “Like a Dog on Linoleum,” “Hysterical Blindness and Other Southern Tragedies…” Book: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet, which formed the basis for the one-man show that had a 45-city tour, a twelve-week off-Broadway run and a four-week run at the Apollo Theater in London.

Ben Cohen

Ben Cohen, MBE (Member of the British Empire), is one of the world’s greatest athletes, recognized as a rugby World Cup champion and second in all-time scoring for England. He also is known as a staunch advocate for LGBT equality, retiring from professional sports in 2011 to start the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, for which he serves as Chairman. The Foundation is the world’s first to focus solely on raising awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. Mr. Cohen, who is married and the father of twin girls, is the first straight sports superstar to dedicate his philanthropic efforts for the benefit of LGBT people. He started the Foundation after learning of the anti-gay bullying suffered by some of his worldwide fans, a painful reminder of his own father’s beating death after he tried to protect and stand up for an employee being attacked. The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation is supported by individual donations, corporate partners and profits from StandUp brand merchandise.

Pandora Boxx

Pandora Boxx has been entertaining the masses for more than a decade.  She most recently appeared as a contestant on the smash hit RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 2).  Despite not winning, Pandora proved to be the breakout star and was named by Entertainment Weekly “as their America’s Next Drag Superstar.” That popularity led her to becoming a drag professor on the spin-off show RuPaul’s Drag U (Seasons 1 & 2).  Pandora also hosted One Night Stand Up: Dragtastic NYC, which aired on Logo.  This “Drag Superstar” has been traveling the country since Drag Race ended spreading love, laughs and glitter everywhere he/she goes.  And, Pandora’s first single is about to drop very soon!

Amy Armstrong

Originally from Detroit, Amy Armstrong has been a professional entertainer since she was a young child. Her powerful and soulful voice mesmerizes listeners while her hilarious and risqué humor keeps them doubled over with laughter. Amy made her home in Chicago in 1995 and quickly became one of the Windy City’s hottest talents. Since that time, Amy she has captivated audiences for more than 15 years, gracing the stage from coast to coast and in over 20 countries. She has had the pleasure of opening for and sharing the stage with Kathy Griffin, Mary Wilson and the Supremes, Phyllis Diller, Bea Arthur, Jennifer Holiday and many others. Amy has also performed with RSVP Vacations since 1999. When not on tour, she is a featured headliner in Chicago with Freddy Allen, her accompanist and music director. Together, they have produced four successful albums; Amy and Freddy- the debut, Life is a Cabaret, Naturally Flawless and Feeling Good.

Matthew Harvat

Matthew Harvat designs events and environments, from the intimate to the grand and from the enduring to the spontaneous. As principal and lead designer of two of his own Chicago based companies, Circuit MOM Productions, Inc. and e.melone floral.home.events, llc, Harvat has transformed both public and domestic spaces for more than twenty years. His event production includes venues like House of Blues Chicago, Aragon Ballroom, Uptown Theater Grand Lobby, Sidetrack Video Bar and others, where he has worked as artistic director, actor, performance artist and DJ. Concurrent with this evolution, over the last 15 years, Harvat developed the alter-ego drag superstar Circuit Mom and became an iconic presence in dance music festivals around the world. Gay and straight audiences alike embrace Harvat’s unique combination of DJing, production and performances that fuse glamour, wit and audacity.